Any social media expert knows that Facebook marketing is tough. While exposure used to be a case of enticing a critical number of fans, Facebook has moved the goalposts and made it more difficult to get noticed without making some kind of payment.

Facebook marketing methods run the gamut from promoted posts to Facebook Exchange and everything in between. Some advertising methods are accessible and affordable; some simply are not. And charities normally don’t have money to burn when it comes to social media.

So what’s the best way to get your charity noticed on a budget?

1. Show Off Your Best Side

It may be harder to get noticed on Facebook, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on posting. Use social media as a way to prop up the content on your website and increase the flow of traffic to key pages.

Make sure your Facebook page acts as a mirror for your best content. That might be a killer blog post, some pillar content or your ethical policies and procedures. The people who see these posts will be more likely to share them if you continue to invest time in crafting them.

2. Make Use Of Statistics… and Act

Facebook now provides Insights, a range of useful metrics on your page performance. Learn to read this information and react to it.

The really important Insights you need are Fans Reached, Engagement and People Talking About:

Fans Reached tells you what percentage of your audience is seeing your content. This is critical if you are to measure improvement. (Organic Reach is also important; it’s the people who saw your charity page who are not yet fans of your charity).

Engagement means people taking action when they see your posts. This might mean they click a photo, for example.

People Talking About is a measure of whether your charity is still fresh in the minds of Facebook users. These are also referred to as storytellers.

3. Don’t Annoy Your Fans

Facebook allows your fans to hide your content in the News Feed if they find it annoying or excessive. This is essentially a ‘dislike’ vote. You need to keep an eye on the ‘dislikes’ indicated by the Negative Feedback figure in your Facebook Insights panel.

How do you make your posts less annoying? Post better content. That’s the best way. Quantity is important, but quality is always the critical measure of success.

You might also want to avoid begging for likes or charity donations, and watch the tone of your posts so that you’re always speaking on the right level to your supporters.

People also love images, so make sure there’s a big, beautiful photo next to everything you post. (Bad stock photos don’t count.)

Working With Facebook

Not all of Facebook’s marketing options are popular with charities since they’re designed to squeeze money out of page admins. Unfortunately, charities on Facebook have little choice: go with the flow or disappear from the News Feed. With a little thought and preparation, you can ensure your charity’s Facebook page does not become a forgotten ‘Like’ but continues to draw support and donations.